What is Cardiothoracic Surgery?  

Cardiothoracic surgery is a specialized field of medicine that focuses on the treatment of diseases affecting the organs inside the chest, including the heart, lungs, and esophagus. This type of surgery requires extensive training and expertise, as it involves delicate procedures that must be performed with the utmost precision and care. In this article, we will delve into the specifics of what cardiothoracic surgery entails, its history, training requirements, and the most common procedures.  

History of Cardiothoracic Surgery  

The origins of cardiothoracic surgery can be traced back to the late 19th century, when doctors began experimenting with procedures to repair heart defects. One of the earliest successful procedures was performed by Dr. Ludwig Rehn in 1896, who repaired a stab wound to the heart of a young man. However, it was not until the mid-20th century that major advancements were made in this field, thanks to the development of heart-lung machines, which made it possible to perform longer and more complex surgeries.  

Training and Education for Cardiothoracic Surgeons  

To become a cardiothoracic surgeon, one must complete extensive education and training, which typically includes:  

• A bachelor's degree in a related field  
• Medical school  
• A residency program in general surgery  
• A fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery  

Additionally, cardiothoracic surgeons must be licensed to practice medicine in their respective states and be certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. The training and education required for this specialty are demanding, and only the most dedicated and skilled physicians are able to become cardiothoracic surgeons.  

Common Procedures in Cardiothoracic Surgery  

There are numerous procedures that fall under the umbrella of cardiothoracic surgery. Some of the most common include:  

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)  

CABG is a surgical procedure that involves rerouting blood flow around a blocked or narrowed artery in the heart. This is done by taking a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body and attaching it to the affected artery, bypassing the blockage and allowing blood to flow freely.  

Valve Repair or Replacement  

The heart has four valves that regulate blood flow. Over time, these valves can become damaged or diseased, leading to reduced blood flow and other complications. Cardiothoracic surgeons can repair or replace damaged valves to restore proper heart function.  

Lung Resection  

Lung resection involves the surgical removal of a portion of the lung to treat cancer, lung infections, or other conditions that affect lung function.  

Esophagectomy  

Esophagectomy is a procedure that involves removing a portion of the esophagus and reconstructing it using tissue from another part of the body. This is typically done to treat esophageal cancer or other conditions that affect the esophagus.  

Top Cardiothoracic Surgeon In Kansas City, MO  

1. Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX  
2. Dr. Timothy Gardner, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN  
3. Dr. Robert Dowling, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI  
4. Dr. Thomas A. Stellato, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA  
5. Dr. Mark Reisman, Seattle Heart Surgeons, Seattle, WA  
6. Dr. Rakesh C. Kukreja, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA  
7. Dr. Jeffrey C. Ward, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL  
8. Dr. John B. O’Neill, Jr., University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA  
9. Dr. Edward Soltesz, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA  
10. Dr. William C. Roberts, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC  
11. Dr. Mark A. Plunkett, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA  
12. Dr. David M. Shahian, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA  
13. Dr. Jonathan D. Rich, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH  
14. Dr. Joseph S. Coselli, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX  
15. Dr. Craig R. Smith, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY  
16. Dr. Bruce L. Gewertz, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA  
17. Dr. Francis Fynn-Thompson, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA  
18. Dr. David J. Cooper, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD  
19. Dr. Robert J. McKenna, Jr., Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA  
20. Dr. David A. Fullerton, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA  
21. Dr. Steven F. Bolling, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI  
22. Dr. Thomas G. Gleason, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN  
23. Dr. Carl Backer, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL  
24. Dr. J. Michael Smith, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA  
25. Dr. Michael E. Field, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH  
26. Dr. Alfredo Trento, University of Miami Health System, Miami, FL  
27. Dr. James K. Kirklin, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL  
28. Dr. David J. Moll, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA  
29. Dr. Robert J. Smith, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC  
30. Dr. Alan L. Stern, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA  
31. Dr. John P. Calhoon, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA  
32. Dr. David M. Zucker, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL  
33. Dr. David W. Adams, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA  
34. Dr. Richard L. Prager, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH  
35. Dr. Marc R. Moon, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA  
36. Dr. Carl L. Backer, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI  
37. Dr. Eric E. Roselli, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH  
38. Dr. L. William Trapp II, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN  
39. Dr. H. Franklin Dobbins III, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN  
40. Dr. Robert W. Harrison, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL  
41. Dr. John D. Puskas, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA  
42. Dr. David S. Hagerty, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA  
43. Dr. J. Michael Criley, University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA  
44. Dr. S. Chris Malaisrie, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL  
45. Dr. Jeffrey P. Jacobs, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD  
46. Dr. Harish C. Mallya, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA  
47. Dr. Robert J. Shmookler Reis, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX  
48. Dr. Raja M. Flores, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY  
49. Dr. Thomas C. Spray, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN  
50. Dr. Jeffrey A. Morgan, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA  
51. Dr. Jeffrey J. Teuteberg, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA  
52. Dr. Francis D. Pagani, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI  
53. Dr. Robert M. Bojar, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA  
54. Dr. David C. Rice, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA  
55. Dr. Jeffrey J. Gold, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH  
56. Dr. Michael A. Acker, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA  
57. Dr. Robert M. Michler, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY  
58. Dr. Jeffrey R. Kaiser, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA  
59. Dr. J. Michael DiMaio, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX  
60. Dr. Edward J. M. de Belder, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA  
61. Dr. Jack G. Copeland, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA  
62. Dr. David Y. Dai, University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA  
63. Dr. Craig R. Smith, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN  
64. Dr. David M. Shahian, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC  
65. Dr. John A. Elefteriades, Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT  
66. Dr. Robert M. Bojar, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA  
67. Dr. William F. Novick, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN  
68. Dr. David M. Shahian, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA  
69. Dr. John D. Puskas, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA  
70. Dr. Jeffrey P. Jacobs, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD  
71. Dr. Thomas G. Gleason, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN  
72. Dr. David J. Moll, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA  
73. Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX  
74. Dr. Bruce L. Gewertz, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA  
75. Dr. Peter F. T. Hwang, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA  
76. Dr. Alfredo Trento, University of Miami Health System, Miami, FL  
77. Dr. David A. Fullerton, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA  
78. Dr. Carl Backer, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL  
79. Dr. Francis Fynn-Thompson, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA  
80. Dr. John D. Mayer, Jr., University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA  
81. Dr. Robert J. McKenna, Jr., Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA  
82. Dr. Robert J. Smith, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC  
83. Dr. Mark A. Plunkett, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA  
84. Dr. Jeffrey C. Ward, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL  
85. Dr. David M. Zucker, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL  
86. Dr. Thomas A. Stellato, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA  
87. Dr. Robert Dowling, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI  
88. Dr. Robert L. Kormos, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH  
89. Dr. Mark Reisman, Seattle Heart Surgeons, Seattle, WA  
90. Dr. Thomas C. Spray, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN  
91. Dr. Lawrence H. Cohn, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA  
92. Dr. Jeffrey J. Teuteberg, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA  
93. Dr. Daniel J. Goldstein, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA  
94. Dr. David W. Adams, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA  
95. Dr. Stephen C. Yang, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA  
96. Dr. Robert K. L. Yim, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA  
97. Dr. Michael E. field, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH  
98. Dr. Timothy J. Gardner, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN  
99. Dr. Rakesh C. Kukreja, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA  
100. Dr. John B. O’Neill, Jr., University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA